Delaware State University Circa 1971

Dover Downs was once a combined harness- and auto-racing track.

Photo courtesy of the Delaware Historical Society (dehistory.org)

Delaware State University, 1971

This image shows the campus of Delaware State University more than 40 years ago. The school was chartered by the Delaware General Assembly in 1891 as the State College for Colored Students under provisions of the Morrill Act of 1890, which authorized land-grant colleges for black students in states with segregated education systems. Classes began in February 1892, and the first students graduated in 1898. The school, originally called Delaware State College, has been known as Delaware State University since 1993. At the top left of the photo is an oval—the first version of Dover Downs, which began in 1969 as a combined harness- and auto-racing track.

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